Ashes 2017-18: England accused of ball tampering in Melbourne

Rain halted the progress of play on day 4.

The already disastrous Ashes tour for England has turned into a more maligned one after England pace ace James Anderson has been accused of ball tampering in the ongoing fourth Test match in Melbourne. The ball according to on-field umpires Kumar Dharmasena and S Ravi did not bounce at all on a good Melbourne wicket after Broad threw the ball from mid-on to Bairstow’s end.

As TV cameras later showed English pacer James Anderson running his fingernail on the quarter seam of the ball, some of the former Australian cricketers-turned- commentators immediately sprang into action, calling England’s tactics unfair.

“I’m not sure you are allowed to use your fingernail there,” Shane Warne told Nine’s Wide World of Sports broadcast. “If you are going to touch the ball at all, it’s not just shining it, you want to do it right in front of the umpire so they know there is nothing untoward going on. But I’m not sure that Jimmy Anderson ... this might get some people talking,” the former spinner added.

Former Australian cricketers Michael Hussey and Mitchell Johnson too jumped in the debate raising their concerns over the episode later as the day was then abandoned due to rain halting the progress of play on day 4.